


6 of Dragons

by Daniel Patterson (Dragonrose0)



Series: The Dragons [1]
Category: 6 of dragons, Original Work
Genre: Dragons, F/F, F/M, Fantasy, Modern, Original Fiction
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-21
Updated: 2020-12-21
Packaged: 2021-03-10 22:29:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,691
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28204626
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dragonrose0/pseuds/Daniel%20Patterson
Summary: When the strange girl arrived, no one knew how their lives were going to change. Now with her guidance, the 5 friends will need to learn who they really are, discover the unbreakable bond they share, and the find power they need to protect the princess.This is an original work, so all honest feedback is appreciated. Please, review!
Series: The Dragons [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2102526





	1. Prolog

**Prolog**

“Jack, There is nothing here,” the small man at the scanner station almost whined. “We’ve been scanning this damn planet for two days now.”

“This 'damn planet' is called Earth, and this is my home.” Home? What do I know of home? I haven’t been here in more than twenty years. “Keep scanning. This is our last hope.” We have been searching for months for any sign of the princess and her entourage. Now we are nearly out of supplies and dangerously low on fuel.

My small crew watches me expectantly. I silently fume at my failure. Our reputation for success is essential for getting future jobs as mercs. I bow my head in defeat. “One more orbit. Deep scan. Then we go home”.

It takes ninety Earth minutes to complete the circle. Once complete, the crew quickly preps the ship to leave the system. They are eager to get back to their families. The acceleration from the planet is such that it risks being spotted by planetary sensors. Oh well, we're leaving anyway. I just smile at their eagerness.

The small ship quickly exits the system. No one notices the little blinking red light on the forgotten planetary scanner display.

* * *

I hate getting up in the morning. My bed is warm and easily the most comfortable piece of furniture I own. With my hectic life, I don’t get to spend near enough time in it. My time this morning, for instance, is over. I can hear someone on the steps to my room. I roll out of bed, throw on a robe to be decent, and sit at my vanity. I begin brushing out my waist-length hair. One of the gate guards walks in without knocking. I wonder how many laps around the castle he will make it in full armor before he collapses. “Ma’am, the princess would like to see you at your first convince.” Ok, only 2 laps for not knocking before entering the commander’s quarters.

“Did she say it was urgent?” My voice is a little more menacing than I intended. The guard winces. Well, I didn’t become commander by being nice.

“No, the words she used were 'priority dispatch'.” The poor guy is terrified. Priority. Ok, important but not urgent.

“You may go. Please let the Princess know I will be with her as soon as I am dressed.” I nod a dismissal, and the guard bolts from the room.

I rise from the vanity and cross to the bathing room, letting my robe slide from my body to the floor. 'Bathing room' is not quite an accurate term. The bathing pool is on an open veranda shielded from view by a tangle of vines that allow me to see out, but someone would have to climb seven floors to see in. The pool is large enough to swim in and is fed by a heated waterfall keeping the water fresh at all times. Considering the summons, I probably spend more time soaking than I should. As I climb out of the pool, water sheeting off me, I catch a glimpse of my combat toned body in the dressing mirror (I do look good). I stride out to the main room to dress, letting my body dry naturally in the warm air. Looking at my available clothing options, I forgo the frillier feminine silkies for a change in favor of a functional semi-formal armor set.

I descend the stairs from my tower room to the upper battlement. A piercing whistle shatters the silence, and an explosion rocks the castle. I quickly take survey of the situation from my vantage point. The tower I had been in just minutes ago is now a towering inferno. The projectile’s smoke trail lead outside the castle wall. For the first time in more than a hundred years were under attack. My first duty is to protect the princess. I turn, ignoring the rage at losing my living space, and sprint to her personal quarters. I am not the first one there nor the last. It's only moments before all five of us are at our stations protecting the princess (my team is well trained and disciplined).

A runner arrives from the Queen Mother with orders for all six of us to gather in the throne room. The message is listed as a first priority royal command. None of us chose to question it. We quickly make our way through the rain of fire and ash to the royal hall. Dodging damage control crews, we enter the throne room. We are greeted by the queen, the royal mage, a cat-like creature we call a gatekeeper, and the queen's royal guard (they don’t look happy that she has refused to take safety).

The queen summons us over and addresses me directly. “You and your guard will take the Princess through a portal to safety. Try to gain allies and return to reclaim the castle. The princess’s safety is to be your highest priority. The other can wait for now,” I salute in acknowledgment. I can hear the mage chanting his protection spell, and I brace myself for the uncanny feeling of magic over my skin. As the mage's chant reaches its peak, the gatekeeper opens the portal to our destination. At the exact moment we are to step through, a second spell rips the princess from my grasp. The clash of the two active spells causes a feedback loop resulting in a painful explosion and sickening disorientation.

I sit bolt upright in my very ordinary bed sweating and sick to my stomach. The digital clock on my nightstand reads twelve-thirty in the morning. I hate that dream, and I have school in seven hours. My first day at a new school...again.

* * *

Dokoni, Colorado, is a quiet town. Its name translates roughly to nowhere. It is a name that used to fit the quaint little hamlet nestled in a secluded valley high in the Rocky Mountains. Now it is more known for the elite and unique educational institution, Kosha Private Academy. One of the premier private schools in the world.

The town its self is built up as an extension and support for the school. The village has a rustic look that has not changed much in the century and a half since it was established. At least not on the surface. Over the last week or so, the annual influx of students has caused the valley's typically sparse population to swell to several times its permanent size.

At this time, there is a strange disturbance that goes mostly unnoticed in all the confusion. In the alley behind the Silver Dragon Pub and Creamery, precisely at the stroke of midnight, the lights begin to flicker and go out, leaving the area in an almost unnatural darkness. Moments later, a pinpoint of violet light appears in mid-air and slowly begins to swirl and grow. The only witnesses to the event are the rats and Dave, the town drunk and crazy man (everyone considers him nuts, but harmless). The dot takes about twenty minutes to reach a size of about eight feet across. The disk, still violet, now courses with silver waves of energy across the surface. Moments later, energy surges in lightning-like bolts around the disk. The surface of the disk buckles out as a form pushes through to our side. A very naked woman steps through the vortex, looking lost and confused. She is shortly joined by a winged creature, and the two of them quickly hide in the shadows.

The disk crashes in on its self and moments later vanishes. The lights flicker back on as the clock tower rings its half-hour. There is no indication of the fantastic things that just transpired. Its only witness fainted on the corner of the now quiet valley.


	2. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

The blaring alarm wakes me from my fitful sleep. I hit snooze and roll over to try to get more. Mind-numbing cold attacks my left foot, startling me into a state of wakefulness no caffeine high can match. “Tessa, that’s not fair!”. The young ghost in question is lounging against my footboard, grinning.

“It’s your first day of school. You don’t want to be late.” She floats over to the curtains and throws them open.

“Yes, I do.” I hate the first day at a new school, and this will be my sixth in the last four years. I gesture at the open curtains. “You’re getting pretty good at that.” Even in her faded state in the direct sunlight, I can see her smile. I pick up the small music box she is bound to and wind it. We listen to the happy little tune (I still don’t even know the song's name) as I start getting ready for the day.

“You had that dream again last night.” It wasn’t a question. “I tried to wake you, but I couldn’t.” I look into her face seeing wisdom far beyond the nine years she was at the time of her death. I nod my assent, not trusting myself to speak at that moment. “Did you get any more insight this time.”

I take a moment to collect myself. “It was clearer this time. I could see the bricks in the castle wall, feel the heat of the fires. I still couldn’t see their faces. They were blurred like a picture smudged by an eraser.”

“Sara, if you don’t hurry, you will be late.” My mother's voice echoed up the stairs. “I'll see you there.”

Tess snickers. “Are you going to be able to handle your mom being a teacher.”

I just roll my eyes. “I see two good things about this. One, I don’t have any of her classes, and two, since she has a job here and isn't digging up stuff god only knows where, we should be able to stay at least a full year.” I finish gathering my stuff, pin my dragon broach on, and head for the door. “See you after school.”

* * *

The walk to school is not a long one (not nearly long enough, in my opinion). You then enter the intimidatingly large campus. Luckily being the first day, there are no classes to find. Instead, all the freshmen are gathering in the gym for orientation in the morning. After lunch, we will get our lockers and class schedules. I try hard not to think of the few hundred other students that will be crammed in the auditorium for the next four hours. I find a seat near the back and hunker down for the ordeal. To my right is the aisle, ready for my escape when this is over. To the left are four girls chatting that obviously know each other. I’m a little jealous. Most of these people have been going to school together for years. Once again, I’m the new kid. I sit back and fold my arms dejectedly. My sleeve catches my broach, pulling it off my blazer. I try desperately to catch it and fail miserably. It falls to the floor and rolls under the seat of the girl next to me, just out of reach. Ok, it's going to be one of Those Days.

“Adiera?” the girl waves. It’s the girl next to me that looks up. “Under your chair.” The unknown girl points down. The girl, who must be Adiera, gives a thumbs up and reaches down and grabs my broach. She glances at it, then does a double-take and studies it. The broach is stunning in its detail. A silver and blue dragon curled around itself posed in peaceful sleep with six colored gems evenly spaced around the outside. I get a little concerned when instead of returning it, she excitedly shows the others.

“Hey, can I have that back, please?” I am a little louder than intended and draw the attention of the group of boys seated in front of us.

Adiera looks back at me, chagrined. “Sorry, I just got excited.” She handed me back my pin and smiled. “Let me show you something.” She undid a cloth scarf and gave me the pin that had been holding it in place. It, too, was a sleeping dragon rendered in exacting detail, this one in a pearl-like material. I just stared for a moment. “Look at the design around the edge.” The six gems were identical. I would have to measure it, but I would bet the size would be exact as well. When I looked up, the other three were smiling and showing their pins. As the daughter of an archeologist, I knew three things. One, these were a matched set. Two, there was one still missing, the black one to be exact. And Three, it was no coincidence I was here at this time.

* * *

The morning passed quickly. I couldn’t tell you what the speeches were about. I even missed Mom’s introduction. However, in exchange, I made four of the best friends of my life. We had lunch together. The food was fantastic. (I found out later that the culinary department ran the cafeteria.) Then we picked up our schedules, and were able to choose lockers next to each other. It turned out I had at least one of the girls each of my classes. Lunch and Phys. Ed. Were the exception. There, we would all be together. I had four besties, and I couldn’t even remember their names yet.

When we were done, they gave me the tour and I knew I wouldn’t get lost tomorrow. Then they decided it was time to show me the town. I'd spent most of my life digging up ancient cultures with my parents. Even a small town was exciting. The structures were mostly a mix of old log buildings and something you would see at one of those New England reenactment villages. Newer buildings had been added to the outskirts over the years, mostly housing for those not living on campus.

“Ok, first things first,” Mokin, (I think) the oriental girl with charcoal eyes, seamed excited. “You Will be in our club, won't you?”

I looked warily to the others. “What exactly do you do in this club?”

They all laughed. “It’s a service-oriented club. We look for things to help out around campus and the town.” Nadja, the tiny Afro-American girl, was quick with the answer.

“I think I can handle that. What's it called?”

They all smiled and announced in unison. “The good dragons.” I just laughed.

We went into what looked like a general mercantile from ‘Little House on the Prairie.’ The other girls rushed up to the tan good looking man behind the counter as I looked around the store. In the corner was a beautiful young woman giving the others a tolerant, indulgent look. She walked up to me, hands on her slightly rounded tummy. “You're Sara, correct?” Instantly, I was defensive. How did a total stranger know who I was? I nodded. “I'm Emilly. My husband Mike and I run the…” she smiles ironically as she looks around “local department store.” As she waves to the store around them. “Your Mother called and ask me to send some things home with you if I happened to see you.”

I laughed a little in relief. “Well, that explains how you knew who I was.”

We were interrupted by the other girls, “Emilly!” they shouted as they rushed her. They took turns hugging the woman.

Nadja (who wasn’t much taller than the woman’s belly anyway) Rubbed the slightly distended bump and smiled. “I see you didn’t waste your honeymoon.” The new mom-to-be blushed prettily, and that started a round of congratulations.

Emilly smiled at the girls. “I have a service project for you. I am due before the pass is likely to clear. I’m going to need your help.” The was a great deal of shouting after that.

Mike walked up to me and smiled. “They're going to be a while. Come, I want to show you something.” I followed him over to the counter. “They want me to add your dragon to the set, but I won't do that without your permission.” He gestured over to the corner where there were foot high replicas of the four dragons. They guarded over pins that were exact copies of their dragon pins, only on a slightly smaller scale than the originals.

“Wow, did you do this?” I was amazed.

He smiled and looked over at his wife. “No. this is Eme’s work.”

“Wow, she is amazing!” I just couldn’t believe how accurate and lifelike they all looked. “Ok what do I need to do?”

“I need to go rescue my wife so she can take some sketches, and you will need to pick out your official scarf.” I opened my mouth to ask a question, but he held up a finger and went to disentangle his wife from the girls.

Emilly disappeared into the back and returned with a ruler and her art supplies. She quickly got started as the others watched.

“Ok, Sara, now about your question. Each of the others is wearing a scarf that was chosen because it related directly to their dragon.” Looking, I could see what he was saying. The colors copied or complemented their dragon in some way. “You need to choose yours. You will get the first one as a gift, then other club members can purchase the pin and scarf. Most will be excited as soon as they find out.” He smiled “With yours, there is only the black missing.”

It took over an hour to decide. I finally went with a blue just a shade or two lighter than royal shot through with silver. The material was so soft it flowed through my fingers like water.

* * *

After promising to return for Mom’s supplies, it was time to hit the Silver Dragon Pub and Creamery. It was an old-time pub and inn like you would see in an old western, and it still served beer and ale to cowboys and farmers. However, it had been updated with a soda and ice cream bar for the younger crowd. It also served the best food in town.

“I tell ya it was some sort of wormhole or portal or something it lit up the whole alley. A girl came through it bein' chased by some flyin' creature.” The man acted like he was three sheets to the wind, but his voice was clear as day and he sat straight in his seat.

My group approached the man. “David, come on. We can get you some dinner, and you can tell us what happened.” Natalie was gentle with the older man. He seemed to slump as he was led over to a booth large enough for all of them. “Sara, this is David.”

The man looked at her with eyes that knew too much, then raised an eyebrow. “This her?”

“Yes, David. Sara is the holder of the fifth dragon.” The Native American girl smiled.

“I told you she would be here. And you found her so quickly. Good.” He then turned to me and smiled. “I’m Davey, the town's designated lunatic.”

Nat smiled fondly at the older man. (he had to be in his thirties at least) “My family moved here when I was six. David found me wandering, lost in the streets. He entertained me with stories until my mother found me.”

“Your mother took one look at me and said I was touched by the spirits, with knowledge not of this world.” David smiled at the memory.

“My parents were both shamen or, as my mother would say, Sha-people, of their respective tribes until they got married when both were banished for joining with someone in a warring tribe.” Obviously, I looked confused because she laughed. “Yes, my parents' tribes have been at war for centuries. Now that means that the tribal corporations try to outdo each other on the bottom line. And banishment means you cant get a job in the tribe. In Whiteman's speak, it's called a conflict of interest. So here we are.” She looked back to Dave and smiled. “Over the years, I have spent a lot of time with him listening to his stories. At first, I thought it was just that, a story. Three years later, he accurately predicted the arrival of Adiera. Two years later, Nadja and last year Mokin. Just last month he told us you were coming. And hear you are.” She nodded at me and smiled. “I'm not sure what to believe now.”

Dave shuttered. “I’m not sure what I saw last night, but I think it has something to do with the princess. I think the black is here, and I think she needs help.”

Nat smiled, “You eat. We will go check it out.” She affectingly ruffled his hair as we left.

The alley was quiet and smelled faintly of trash. We split up to look around. Nat called us over, pointing at the ground, “A fresh scorch mark.”

“It's road repair season. It's expected.” Mokin just shrugged.

Nat shook her head. “Repairs from a smudge torch are unfocused and meander with the damage.” She points at the ground to illustrate what she is saying. “The edges on this are laser-focused, and you could use it as a straight edge. Something happened here.”

We split up again, this time a little more on edge. In one corner of the alley, there was a badly overflowing newsprint recycle bin. I decided to go take a look. As I approached, a very naked and filthy girl jumped out of the heap. Said something I didn’t understand in a terrified voice and took a fighting stance. At that moment, the gems on all the dragon pins began to glow. She looked startled, focused on my face, and relaxed. The girl started to cry, lunged into my arms, and collapsed, pulling me to the ground with her. I looked into the girl's wild eyes and made a vow there and then that I would protect her with my life, if necessary.


End file.
